21 Under 31 | Lisa Gloria

Lisa Gloria’s paintings are often about the past. For example, she likes to explore how sounds and sensations can collide to obscure and reshape people’s precious memories. She views her paintings as a blend of realism and expressionism and finds the juxtaposition a compelling combination.

The Chicago-based artist says THE WASHER is one of her favorite paintings. In it she sought to convey the redemptive power of work and the “delicious” sort of solitude that comes with it, she explains. But the piece has a personal meaning, too. Gloria painted it after her grandmother died. “She was a hard-working, hard-cleaning sort of Czech woman,” she says. “Her work ethic is very much in my heart, but I didn’t dare do a painting about something that personal until after she was gone. Now, I find that the more personal the message, the more deeply it speaks to other people.” Gloria studied painting at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. She is represented by Susan Powell Fine Art, Madison, CT, and www.lisagloria.com.